That $50 Holiday Gift Card Is Taxable Wages: Why Employee Gift Cards Belong on Form W-2
IRS rules: gift cards to employees are cash equivalents, never de minimis — report face value as supplemental wages on Form W-2 with 22% withholding.
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Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Form 5500 Filing for Small Business Retirement Plans: Who Must File, the 100-Participant Audit Tripwire, and Penalty Relief for Late Filers
Form 5500 is due July 31 for calendar-year plans; IRS late penalties run $250 a day up to $150,000, but DFVCP caps small-plan relief at $1,500.
October 1 Is Your myDATA Deadline: An E-Invoicing Survival Guide for Greek Small Businesses
Greece requires every small business to issue myDATA e-invoices from October 1, 2026 — declare your method and get the MARK stamp or face 50% VAT penalties.
Hiring Your Spouse for a Section 105 HRA: Deducting Family Medical Bills
A one-employee Section 105 HRA lets a sole proprietor deduct the family's medical spend — premiums included — against income and self-employment tax.
Hungary's Scrapped KATA Flat Tax Is Coming Back: What an Abuse-Proof Revival Means for Freelancers Who Invoice Businesses
Hungary's KATA flat tax is set to return for freelancers who invoice businesses. Expect per-client concentration caps, so track revenue per payer now.
Your K-1 Item L Capital Account: Negative Balances and Why It Never Matches Your Basis
Item L reports tax-basis capital, not your outside basis — the IRS excludes partnership debt, so a negative ending balance is usually arithmetic, not alarm.
Which Labor Law Posters Do You Actually Have to Hang?
Every required federal labor law poster is free from the DOL, so the $90 compliance mailer is a scam. Which sheets you owe, plus state and remote rules.
Your Refund Never Arrived? How to Trace a Lost, Stolen, or Misdirected IRS Refund With Form 3911
IRS Form 3911 traces a missing refund after 5 days for direct deposit or 4–9 weeks for paper checks; BFS then cancels the original or investigates the forgery.
Louisiana Folded Its Plumbing Board Into the Contractors Board: What HB 953 Means for Your License and Your Shop
Louisiana's HB 953 dissolves the State Plumbing Board on January 1 — journeyman hours drop from 7,000 to 2,500 and the apprentice ratio rises to 1:3.
The Mid-Quarter Convention Trap: How Q4 Equipment Purchases Can Slash Your First-Year Depreciation
More than 40% of your MACRS basis placed in service in Q4 forces the IRS mid-quarter convention on every asset — a 5-year purchase falls from 20% to 5%.
Workers' Comp in Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming: Why You Can't Shop for Private Coverage
Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming bar private workers' comp, and the state fund sells Part One only — stop-gap coverage closes the liability hole.
Are You Leaving the New $6,000 Senior Deduction on the Table?
The new US senior deduction gives filers 65+ up to $6,000 through 2028, shrinking 6 cents per dollar of MAGI over $75,000 single or $150,000 joint.